Our language is quite metaphorical, so much so that often we don’t realize it. One example is the metaphor used by some teachers who view their work as though they were horticulturalists. They talk about their students’ basic ability to learn as the “seed” and their role is to provide the right "soil” and “sunlight” for their “growth.” Some students are “potbound,” while others “flower”and reach “fruition.” Some students need a “hothouse” to develop, while others could prosper in a “desert.”

My favorite example of this phenomenon is the language used by financial people. Whenever I do any work with bankers or accountants, they talk about what they do as though they were plumbers. And no wonder! The metaphor they use to describe their work is what I call